Disgraceful Service at A Mano (Food Allergy/Child)

I recently had a horrible experience at A Mano Pizza in Ridgewood when I visited there with my severely allergic 2-year-old son.  Please take a moment to read the text from letter I sent the restaurant after my recent visit:

To the Owners at A Mano Pizza,

I recently had a disappointing and disheartening experience at A Mano Pizza in Ridgewood, NJ.  I came for dinner with my husband, two-year-old son, and infant.  When eating out with my two-year-old, we always carry food with us due to his severe food allergies.  He is allergic to gluten, oat, dairy, egg, peanut, and tree nut.  We carry epi-pens and medication with us everywhere and have been advised by our doctor to prepare his food at home due to the severity of his allergies.  As you can imagine, eating out is not only a frightening experience, but also one that takes time and effort to prepare for. 

Upon settling in at A Mano, we began to give our 2-year-old son food we had prepared at home.  Our waiter came by to take our drink order, and I explained the situation to him.  Every time we go out, I explain this to our waiter and have never had a problem.  We have eaten at casual family restaurants and exclusive restaurants with our son and have always received a sympathetic and supportive response from the wait staff and management.  This time, however, was different.  The waiter gestured toward the owner, Carlo, who walked by and began shaking his head at me.  I asked him why he was shaking his head and he responded that we shouldn’t bring food into a restaurant.  I explained that our son has severe food allergies; as I began listing his restrictions he interrupted me and exclaimed, “We have gluten free pizza!” That’s wonderful, I responded, but my son has multiple food allergies and a reaction can be triggered by cross contamination with any of his allergens.  He then went on to claim that he has other substitutions for allergens (I have checked and re-checked the menu on-line and cannot find this listed so I would have no way of knowing this ahead of time).  He also accused our son of “taking the seat of a paying customer.” HE’S TWO! Most two-year-olds I know eat a slice of pizza from their parents’ pie or take a few bites of whatever is ordered.  Is my infant son also taking the seat of a paying customer? We don’t bring our son’s food with us because we’re cheap.  We bring it with us so he doesn’t die.  In fact, it is estimated that raising a child with one food allergy (my son has 6) is at least 30% more expensive a year. 

Had Carlo approached us differently, perhaps this interaction may have ended better.   I understand that you have gluten free pizza and would have appreciated the gesture to accommodate my son’s allergies. However, I have been instructed by my child’s physician to prepare his food due to the number of his allergies and his age.  If Carlo had attempted to understand this situation, perhaps we could have eaten our meal as intended and not left the restaurant in a scene with my two-year-old son hysterically crying.

I am astonished by the lack of compassion and consideration displayed at A Mano Pizza, and I would urge you to be more considerate of your customers- especially those with life-threatening medical conditions.